Many motor vehicles are known to have a tire carrier that mounts the vehicle's spare tire beneath the vehicle, such as beneath the passenger compartment or trunk of a passenger car or beneath the bed of a truck. The spare tire is secured to the vehicle with a mechanism such as a winch that allows the tire to be raised and lowered. To release and secure the tire to the vehicle, a shaft on the tire carrier is rotated from above. Such vehicles are typically provided with a tire carrier actuator that has a first end that is configured to mate with the rotatable drive shaft. The release the tire, the user connects the first end of the actuator to the shaft and rotates the actuator with a handle connected to the second end of the actuator. Once the tire is released from the tire carrier it is on the ground beneath the vehicle and must be retrieved by the user.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tire carrier actuator that reduces or overcomes some or all of the difficulties inherent in prior known devices. Particular objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that is, those who are knowledgeable or experienced in this field of technology, in view of the following disclosure of the invention and detailed description of certain preferred embodiments.